Being Human: Will Season Five Be the Last Season?

by Trevor Kimball, March 26, 2012

As we reported yesterday, BBC has renewed the original Being Human TV show for a fifth season. We now know that this time, they’ve only ordered six episodes instead of the usual eight. Could this be a sign that Being Human is coming to an end?

Following some cast changes, the ratings have been lower for season four in the UK. The premiere drew 1.23 million viewers, the lowest season debut since Being Human’s first season. Other episodes in season four have done much worse and last night’s finale hit 748,000 viewers per the overnights, a series low.

The fourth round of episodes is still being shown on BBC America and will wrap on April 14th.

Here’s the press release:

BBC AMERICA CO-PRODUCTION “BEING HUMAN” COMMISSIONED FOR FIFTH SEASON

Created by Toby Whithouse, the hit series’ fourth season is premiering now as part of BBC AMERICA’s Supernatural Saturday

New York – Monday, March 26, 2012 – BBC AMERICA announced today that award-winning and critically-acclaimed Supernatural Saturday series, Being Human, written and created by Toby Whithouse (Doctor Who, Torchwood), will return for a fifth season. The unconventional trio of a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost will live on as six more episodes have been commissioned for BBC AMERICA and BBC Three in the UK next year. Being Human is produced by Touchpaper Wales, a Zodiak Media Company, for BBC Cymru Wales and BBC AMERICA. The fourth season is currently premiering as part of the channel’s Supernatural Saturday programming block.

Toby Whithouse, creator and executive producer, is keeping plans closely under wraps but can confirm that werewolf Tom (Michael Socha) and vampire Hal (Damien Molony) will return. He says: “Being Human lives on! The response to series 4 has been terrific. We’re thrilled that the audience have taken the new cast into their hearts with such enthusiasm and affection. We’re delighted to have this opportunity to expand the world further and explore new characters and tell new stories. A heartfelt thank you to all the fans for their unstinting support, and to the BBC for letting us mess up the sandpit for a fifth year.”

BBC AMERICA’s SVP of Programming, Richard De Croce, commented: “The original hit Being Human series has been a staple of BBC AMERICA’s Supernatural Saturday programming block. We’re excited to present the series’ loyal fans with a fifth season and to continue working with the series’ cast and extraordinarily talented creator Toby Whithouse, who clearly is fast becoming one of the biggest names in sci-fi television.”

Rob Pursey, executive producer, Touchpaper Television says: “When we first made the pilot episode for Being Human we knew we had something special. But we didn’t dream we’d be making a fifth series. It’s a testament to the ambition of the writing and the performances that it’s stayed so fresh. We’re very grateful to the BBC for continuing to support a drama that doesn’t play by the usual rules.”

The fifth season of Being Human (6 x 60) has been re-commissioned by Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning and Zai Bennet, Controller, BBC Three.

Being Human is written by Toby Whithouse and executive producers are Toby Whithouse, Rob Pursey, Philip Trethowan for Touchpaper Television, and George Ormond for BBC Cymru Wales. Zodiak Rights own worldwide right to the Being Human series.

BBC AMERICA delivers US audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including an Emmy(R), five Golden Globes(R) and ten Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable’s most affluent and educated audiences and is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 76 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist.

When the 3 main actors left it was not the same and to space alien setting when you left the normal everyday life of vamps living among humans if it could have only stayed more real don’t believe it will last long now

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July 24, 2012 11:35 pm

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Ethany Star

I love this show! Not the first crew, but the 2nd one.
Haven’t watched the episode(s) of the transition from
one cast to another…

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May 11, 2012 10:38 pm

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Asashii

its hard to watch and stay loyal to UK tv shows the turn over rate is worse than a fast food joint, for example, Shameless the US version is so much better then the modern day U.K. version, its turned to garbage!!!! and if Being Human US keeps its cast then it will be better then the lets half way try to savage a once good show, just dont get to attached!!!!!

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April 9, 2012 7:30 am

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roborok

This show sucks without George & Mitchell!! The Canadian version is now better than the original!

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March 28, 2012 10:26 pm

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LovenWorth

If you are a US viewer please do not read this further, because I’m aware that the series did not end yet in the U.S. But for those who have seen it, Annie was written out of the show on the finale so that she can pursue a new television crime drama series, she was shooting while on hiatus for Being Human, so she was not written off she was moving on as the other cast did. In order to launch a new cast they had to introduce them in Series 4 so people can adjust and get use to… Read more »

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March 28, 2012 12:25 pm

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Bethany

Ok, US viewer here. ANNIE IS OFF THE SHOW????? She was always my favorite character, and the only remaining original cast member. I absolutely LOVE this show. Sure it is not quite the same with George and Mitchell on the show. It is my understanding that the actors had bigger and better job offers, so I am sure they won’t be back. (which is a shame) But Tom and Hal are just coming into their own, and without Annie I don’t see how they could possibly carry on. I think the viewers would come back if the storylines moved a… Read more »

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March 27, 2012 3:54 am

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dauphin

I think they made a good choice writing out Annie now. In Series 2 and 3, she increasingly became a dull character who didn’t really do much but make the tea and occasionally guide other ghosts through to the afterlife. Once she was the only original remaining character, however, she had to become leader and caretaker for not only the baby but also Tom and Hal, and it’s allowed her to be a much more dynamic force than usual. This ending means she went out on a high, and I’m looking forward to next series more than I’ve looked forward… Read more »

Honestly it sucked because everyone except Annie left. Having her there with two side characters just felt weird. Had they replaced the entire cast all at once it probably would have been a hell of a lot better or at the very least not so awkward. I’m very much looking forward to seeing the new group dynamic next year and hope that our new ghost sticks around. :p

Noticably absent from that sentence is Annie! I hope if they end it, they find some way to bring Mitchell and George back… perhaps Annie travels back in time. *shrug* Oh well, I hope they keep Annie… she’s the heart and soul of the show.